INEC delists Ebonyi PDP Gov, NASS candidates

• Published date: 16 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

There is anxiety in Ebonyi following the delisting of People's Democratic Party(PDP) candidates by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from the governorship and National Assembly election.

A check by The Nation on INEC's website shows the governorship and deputy governorship candidates of the party, Ifeanyi ?d?i and Senator Igwe Nwagu were conspicuously missing from the updated list.

The three senatorial candidates of the party, Senator Sam Egwu (Ebonyi North); Lazy Ogbe(Ebonyi Central) and Senator Ama Nnachi(Ebonyi South) were also missing from the list.

Five out of the six House of Representative candidates were also not included in the updated list.

Those whose names were missing are Idu Igariwey (Afikpo North/South); Jerry Obasi (?haozara/Onicha/Ivo); Ogbonnia Nwanne (Ikwo/Ezza South); Chukwuma Ofoke (Abakaliki/Izzi), and Victor Aleke (Ebonyi/Ohaukwu).

In the updated list, INEC listed Mr Emmanuel Nwoke as the candidate of PDP for Íshíelu/Ezza North constituency in place of Mr Obinna Nwachukwu who was listed as the candidate in the previous list released in September.

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The Commission listed one Henry Udeh as the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party(LP) for Ebonyi South instead of Mr Linus Okorie who emerged in a run-off primary conducted late last year.

The amended list was signed by Secretary of INEC, Rose Oriaran-Anthony

and published on the Commission's website.

The Commission explained that the updated list was pursuant to various court orders which the commission was bound to abide by.

It said: 'The Commission published the final list of candidates for Presidential, Senatorial and House of Representatives elections on 20th September, 2022 and Governorship and State House of Assembly elections on 4th October, 2022 in accordance with the provisions of Section 32 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Elections', the statement accompanying the new list explained.

INEC noted that 'after the said publication, the Commission was served Orders of Court in respect of the...